Spring Break Block Party in the Dallas Arts District!

On March 14th (Friday!), Dallas Arts District is helping you celebrate Spring Break by closing down Flora and Harwood streets to throw an EPIC Arts Block Party!

Starting at 6:00 pm, the Dallas Museum of Art, Crow Collection of Asian Art, and Nasher Sculpture Center are hosting this free family event. Grab dinner or dessert from gourmet food trucks lining the streets as you enjoy all three museums and participate in special activities, live concerts, guided tours, films, and more!

Click here for all the artsy details.

Texas-Sized Yoga Session on The Bridge this Weekend

It's Thursday afternoon, so you're no doubt planning your weekend as you read this. How many times have you thought to yourself while driving over the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, "Ugh, if I could just get out of my car and do yoga on the bridge, my life would be so much better." Well, Saturday, you'll get your chance thanks to the Trinity Commons Foundation. See the details below, or check out their site.

WHAT
Yoga on the Bridge is a Texas-sized yoga session that will be held in the middle of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge, directly below the center white arch.

WHEN
Saturday, March 1, 1 p.m.

CLASSES

A one-hour open level yoga class will run side-by-side with a 45-minute family yoga class. Open level yoga is designed for adults who are new to yoga as well as for experienced practitioners. Instructors and assistants will ensure you have a satisfying experience. The family yoga class is designed for adults and children.

COST
Adults may participate for a minimum $5 donation per person. Your tax-deductible donation supports the non-profit Trinity Commons Foundation and its goal to turn the Trinity River Corridor into Dallas' Central Park. Children may participate for free but must be accompanied by an adult.

LOCATION
Yoga on the Bridge will take place in the middle of the Margaret Hunt Hill Bridge over the Trinity River in Dallas, TX. Access will be from the west end of the bridge (Singleton Blvd. at North Beckley Ave.). Parking will be available in Trinity Groves and on nearby streets. Some street closures will be in place for other All Out Trinity events. Please consult the map found here.

SPONSORS
Presented by the Trinity Commons Foundation as part of All Out Trinity, the second-annual Yoga on the Bridge is sponsored by SYNC Yoga & Wellbeing and Clairevista Vitality Club.

INSTRUCTORS
Yoga instructors include Jennifer Lawson, Mike Luckock, Julie Wright and Stephanie Spett.

Make Scary St. Patty's Plans

Sure, St. Patty's Day weekend will likely involve some green beer, green shirts, green beads, and green partying. Not wanting to miss out on the fun, the Witches of Coven Manor at Dark Hour Haunted House have also decided to go green that weekend. Grab your Lady Luck, Leprechaun or someone you want to get lucky with for a scaringly fun St. Patrick's Slay Weekend.

Dark Hour Haunted House is undoubtedly one of the best haunted houses in town. Checked it out with the Sig-O in October and it's not to be missed. (Here's that write up) The St. Patty's Slay show is all new, so if you've been before, it's still worth the trip and a little green. Get you tickets and all the deets at www.darkhourhauntedhouse.com 

Junior Associates of the DMA are throwing a FREE Party!

The Junior Associates of the DMA are bringing the party to the Dallas Museum of Art for their annual and highly anticipated event, Curators' Choice. Junior Associates are encouraged to bring their friends for a fun cocktail party, complete with tunes by DJ Mark, and a photo booth from CultureMap Dallas, followed by brief tours where you have the chance to hear curators and local artists talk about their favorite piece in the collection. It's free for anyone to come, click here to RSVP.

WHEN Friday, January 24 6:30 - 9 pm WHERE Dallas Museum of Art 1717 N. Harwood St. Dallas, TX 75201

Bowl & Barrel turns 1! And celebrates with cheap drinks!

Who doesn't love a birthday party? Nobody. Know what makes a birthday party better? Cheap drinks - like $1 drinks. Even better when it's good beer and Manhattans. Oh, and cake, because it's not a birthday without cake.

Plano Just Got A Lot Scarier . . . . With Dark Hour Haunted House

It’s that time of year again – the one where you watch the scary movie you come across while channel surfing, buy all the orange and black candy at Target, and carefully plan who will be the friend or date you cling to for dear life as you go through a haunted house. So, of course I grabbed the Sig-O and we headed off to check out haunted houses. While the Sig-O certainly enjoys a good haunted house, the real entertainment is apparently my own screaming more than the children who are in the tour behind us. I also have a tendency to teach them new words if they're following too closely.

We've seen a number of the haunts around to, there’s a new kid on the haunted house block that’s well worth your trip to Plano and your haunted house dollars – Dark Hour Haunted House.

While I won’t ruin your haunted house experience by giving you the room by room fright breakdown, I will say that the folks behind Dark Hour have spared no expense and it shows. This is not your neighborhood haunted house for the kiddos and this is definitely not the same old guy with a hockey mask chasing you with a chainsaw. Dark Hour Haunted House provides a full experience that will likely show up in your dreams and nightmares for a week. The lighting, sound system and special effects are worth the trip, even if you pretend to be one of those who doesn't scare.

Halloween is almost here, so you’re worried about those dreaded lines this weekend. While Dark Hour’s line moves well, you’ll be happy to stand in line a few extra minutes to watch the Dark Hour dancers do their dances to (what else?) Michael Jackson’s Thriller. Once you enter, the route takes you through three areas – Dominion of the Dead, Coven Manner and Voodoo Vengeance. Again, we won’t ruin your experience with the details, but as you go through , don’t forget to notice all the details they've included in the haunt – bricks that were cut by hand, reclaimed wood on houses and decoration that’s been done with a careful eye to intrigue and frighten you at the same time.

As one of the only haunted houses in the area to hire professional actors, Dark Hour has elevated the level of our local haunts. They know just when to jump out or look alive to get that perfect scare. Their elaborate sets and lighting have been designed to intensify the fright you’ll get. It’s rather remarkable given that they've been in the building just under eight weeks and built all the sets from the ground up (the 30,000 square foot space used to be a Sports Authority). You’ve still got a few weeks to check out Dark Hour and they’re open Friday-Sunday through November 2^nd (as well as the Thursday of Halloween, of course).

Click here for more details, tickets and directions for Dark Hour Haunted House

State Fair of Texas Ticket Deals!

Nobody should pay full price for tickets to the State Fair, which opens Friday. Here's a round up of the ticket deals (Thanks to the fabulous people at CultureMap):

North Texas Food Bank deals: On opening day, anyone who brings in a full 20 ounce Coca-Cola product or Dasani water will get into the fair for $6. Also, NTFB has teamed up with Kroger for a special deal every Wednesday, where everybody who brings in at least three cans of food gets in for $3. That means 3 cans for each person. Don’t try to get in a crowd on 3 cans.

It's good to be a senior: Sure, seniors — anyone 60 and over — already get a $4 discount from the regular price, but every Thursday during the State Fair is Senior Day, where those lucky folks can get in absolutely free.

McDonald's coupons: Eat at any area McDonald's, and you're likely to get a coupon for $3 off general admission, good for any day at the fair. They also have a coupon where a child can get in for half price when an adult pays full price, a discount of $6.50.

Dr Pepper deals: Make sure to save up those empty Dr Pepper cans, as each one is good for $5 admission on Tuesdays or $8 admission any day after 5 pm.

Coca-Cola Thursdays: In addition to the opening-day deal, every Thursday is Coca-Cola Thursday, where an empty 20-ounce bottle is good for $6 admission.

Dickies Day: Forget the Coke bottles on Thursday, October 3 — just make sure to wear any piece of clothing with a Dickies logoon it, and you'll get in for free.

Cinemark Thursdays: Movie lovers can trade one piece of entertainment for another on any Thursday, as a ticket stub from any Cinemark theater gets you in for free.

KISS-FM Fridays: Go to the KISS-FM site and print the coupon for $5 off general admission on any Friday. Make sure to print a coupon for every person in your group.

Discount on Midway rides: Saving on ticket prices is one thing, but everyone knows it's the rides and the food that really drive up the cost. If you go on any Tuesday, though, all rides except for thrill rides and the Texas Star are only six coupons, a savings of anywhere between two to six coupons (or $1-$3) per ride.

See Bon Jovi at American Airlines Center for Half Price!

From the cut-and-paste via Travelzoo division, we've got tickets to see Bon Jovi for half price!

The following seats are available for the Wednesday, Oct. 16, concert at 7:30 p.m.:

• Upper Bowl Sections 308-314 and 322-238 (Upper Rows) … $15 (reg. $29.50)
• Upper Bowl Sections 308-314 and 322-328 (Lower Rows) … $23.50 (reg. $49.50)
• Lower Bowl Sections 108-117 … $48.75 (reg. $99.50)
• Lower Bowl Sections 105-107 and 118-120 … $89.50 (reg. $185)

The concert will showcase Bon Jovi's huge arsenal of hits and new music from the recently released album "What About Now." The group's 12th studio album features its trademark mix of anthemic rock songs ("Because We Can," "What About Now") and lyrically introspective songs ("Amen," "The Fighter").

Book by Sept. 29. Click here for the details. 

 

Friday Night Date Night Plan - 'Til Midnight at the Nasher

It's Wednesday, you've got a date set up for Friday, but you have no idea what to do. Dinner and a movie seems so cliche. No worries, we've got it handled for you with a free concert and movie at the Nasher. Oh, and the art, don't forget to look around while you're enjoying the concert and movie so you can check out the incredible sculpture at the Nasher, and we're not just talking about your date.

Dallas Theater Center Introduces All-You-Can-Watch Stage Pass

Introducing DTC Stage Pass!

For the lover of live entertainment, the on-a-whim decision-maker and the life-of-the-party friend. Dallas Theater Center has a brand new way to see theater — DTC Stage Pass. 

DTC Stage Pass is like a gym membership for on-stage entertainment. For $25 per month, you can attend as many DTC performances as you'd like. And you don't have to make any real plans. Just show up to the theater an hour or so before show time and get the best available ticket for that performance. If your friends tag along, you can get them 15% off the regular ticket price. They'll think you're awesome. With DTC Stage Pass, you can binge-watch your favorite shows for just $25 per month*! 
Click here for all the details

Big Texas Beer Fest is Coming!

Looking for Saturday afternoon day drinking plans? We've got the perfect plan - The Big Texas Beer Fest. 

The Big Texas Beer Fest 2013 is North Texas’ second-annual 100 percent craftbeer inspired festival. Last year’s festival featured approximately 80 breweries, and they're planning on topping 100 this year. That means we're talking about 400+ beers. That's a lot of beer. Some of the participating breweries have even promised exclusive kegs, rare beers and other specials just for the lager lovers, hopheads and other beer fans. 
The Big Texas Beer Fest runs at the Automobile Building at Fair Park 2-6:30 p.m. (starts at 1 p.m. for VIPs, but you didn't get your tickets early enough.) See you there!

If you don't have your tickets yet, you won't get to be a VIP(they sold out), but you can still get your general admission tickets here for $35. (IF they happen to have still have tickets at the door, the price jumps to $50, so just buy yours now) Your ticket will get you in the door, a cool sampling cup, and 12 samplings throughout the festival. (You can buy more, something about silly TABC rules.)

Drinking Local: Rahr, Franconia, DEBC, Community and Lakewood

The Sig-O and I have recently been on a quest to try all the new local breweries that seem to be popping up all over town. To date, we've checked out:

• Rahr Brewery - One of the older, more established ones in the area. Downside: It's in Fort Worth, so that's far to go to drink and still have to drive back to Dallas. Last time we visited Rahr, we made it a FW weekend, so it's like a staycation, without actually having to use that stupid word. The beer is great, the setting is good, as long as it's a nice termperature outside. We went in August without knowing and nearly died. But the beer was cold, so we lived. Beer Recommendation: Ugly Pug
• Franconia - It's another one that's far, but not as far as Rahr. Franconia is in McKinney, so it's a hike, but manageable. Again, when you visit the breweries that are farther away, I'd recommend making a day of it - beer, grabbing a bite in McKinney, and doing some outlet shopping in Allen - because outlet shopping is way more fun after a few beers. Beer Recommendation: Franconia Lager or Dunkel
• Deep Ellum Brewing Company - DEBC has got the Saturday tour thing down. Good beer, great patio, live music and usually a food truck or two. It's a great one to hit with a few friends and the location and the name are actually in agreement since it's actually in Deep Ellum (looking at you, Lakewood). Again, probably not a great option in the heat of the summer, unless you're prepared to sweat. There are also good food options in walking distance - Cane Rosso, Twisted Root, Angry Dog, just to name a few. Beer Recommendation: DEBC Double Brown Stout
• Community Beer Company - The Sig-O and I recently checked this one out. A relative newcomer to the local craft brew scene, these guys are ready to take DFW by storm. They've got a big warehouse space that will allow them plenty of room to continue to grow. The beer tour was interesting and the tour guide was talking about how they cultivate their own yeast, have a special lab, blah, blah, blah, but the Sig-O was interested. I was more interested in grabbing another beer. They also feature local artists, have live music and a food truck or two. Beer Recommendation: Regalement, it's seasonal, and it's awesome.
• Lakewood Brewing Company - This is the one with the confusing name since they're actually in Garland, but we'll give them a pass since nobody wants to be Garland Brewing Company. They're in an industrial/business parky area of Garland, so you'll be glad that you're using Google Maps rather than the iPhone Crap Maps. I'm not going to lie, Lakewood has the best tasting room set up, being set up with tables and a bar, rather than the usual big warehouse with nowhere to sit. They have the big warehouse too, for the beer tanks, and the usual food truck out back, but where they won me over (other then the great beer) was definitely the tasting room. Yes, call me a whiner because I don't want to be sweating or freezing to death, but Lakewood is definitely on the short list for a return visit. Beer Recommendation: Temptress.

We've got several others on the list to check out - Peticolas, Firewheel and Four Corners will definitely be coming up soon. Did we forget anyone?

Things You Should Be Doing: Weeknight 5K's

You always mean to go do a 5K race or fun run, but the problem is that they happen on Saturday mornings. And Saturday mornings are rough because Friday nights are so much fun. The good news is, that worthless excuse of being too tired or needing to sleep in on the weekends is gone with two fabulous weeknight 5K's coming up. So register and mark your calendars for these two great weeknight runs that are right around the corner!

• The Man Run - Wednesday, May 2 - $20 - 6:30 p.m. at Reverchon Park - Ryan Harms is competing in the One Man Dallas competition and his service project is The Man Run. The Man Run will benefit Back on My Feet, a local nonprofit helping the homeless population of Dallas. Beneficiary: Back on My Feet is committed to creating independence and self-sufficiency within the homeless and other underserved populations by engaging them in running as a means to build confidence, strength and self-esteem. For more information about Back on My Feet, please visit www.backonmyfeet.org. To register for this awesome run, visit  http://www.themanrundallas.com
• The 14th Annual Michelob Ultra Katy 5K - Thursday, May 10 - $40 - 7 p.m. at Reverchon Park - The Katy 5K is a great 5K, but more importantly, it's the best post-race party in town. You and 5,000 of your closest friends will run, drink free beer and enjoy free food from 50 of the best restaurants in town. Oh, and all the money benefits the Friends of the Katy Trail. They're the ones responsible for keeping the Katy Trail clean, safe, beautiful and AWESOME. Register at www.KatyTrailDallas.org 

There's no reason for you not to be there. There might be a reason for you to skip work after the Katy 5K.

Things That Sound Like a Disaster: Dallas Casting for MTV Real World 28

I didn't even know this show was still on. Seriously, nothing sounds like a worse idea than a 28th season of a show that should have gone off the air at least 10 years ago. Wait, when was the Vegas one? That one was kind of fun to watch, but it should have been the last one. But, just in case you like the show and, even worse, want to try to be on the show. Here's where they'll be casting in Dallas.

Saturday, April 7, 2012
10:00AM-5:00PM
Red Rock Bar and Grill
18110 Midway Rd. #208
Dallas TX, 75287

http://www.bmpcasting.com/casting/realworld/

Pub Crawl for a Cause

It Doesn't Matter How You Feel About Yelp, It's About the CHEAP Drinks

Save The Date! 

Yelp Drinks is back and better than ever! You might even need to hydrate for the next two months to gear up for this week full of awesome happy hour prices, yelp
tastic themed events, and overall debauchery!

When: February 27th - March 4th, 2012
Where: Various locations

Click here for all the details

$1 Bubbly but you have to go to FW. But it's still $1 bubbly

New Lower Prices for the Dallas Stars - Starting at $9!

Food Truck Rally Saturday - The Butcher's Son, Gandolfo's, Ruthie's & The Cup Cakin Machine!

Cedar Springs Wine Walk Wednesday with Santa